


To Be Alive

by flowerslut



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:33:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27172495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerslut/pseuds/flowerslut
Summary: A semi-supernatural meet cute. (For Jalice Week 2020)
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale
Comments: 10
Kudos: 16
Collections: Jalice Week 2020





	To Be Alive

The noise of the blaring car horn was easily ignored as he crossed the street, not even acknowledging the car trying to make a right hand turn, letting them stew in their irritation at his refusal to wait for the crosswalk signal.

Once he was fully out of it’s way, the car pulled around the corner, and it wasn’t until someone rolled down the window and yelled “watch out, asshole” that he turned and watched the white Tesla speed away. He rolled his eyes before making his way across the street. The sound of hysterical laughter greeted him from a little further down on the sidewalk.

He never bothered to learn the guy’s name—a bum that frequented the neighborhood who was loud but harmless—but Jasper shook his head toward the guy and kept moving. He didn’t have any change or cigarettes to spare for the crazy old man that day, and it was too hot to make small talk. He lifted a hand in a half-wave and continued onward towards home.

It wasn’t until he was four entire blocks from the bus stop when he stopped and swore loudly. 

He couldn’t believe he’d left his skateboard on the fucking bus.

He paused for a moment, lifting his head up toward the sky and closing his eyes, concentrating on calming down before his temper got the better of him. After several long seconds he opened his eyes and sighed, knowing a lost cause when he saw one. Someone probably picked it up by now. It wasn’t like the MTA had a lost and found.

He swore again as he resumed his walk. Losing his board meant plenty of things. It would take him longer to get to work, it would take him longer to get home from work, and now he had to _walk_ down the entirety of Spring street in the blistering summer heat.

Shaking out his blond hair he realized that if this was the case, a shorter hairstyle might be necessary. Or, he mused as he began the trek down the street that led to his home, he could grow it out a little more, and just tie it up in the back.

The walk would be almost enjoyable if it wasn’t so damn hot. Of course, the neighborhood had been better when Jasper was a kid. People were nicer. There was more of a sense of community when you walked down the streets. But with the gentrification of the area well underway it had lost a good amount of it’s charm.

Blinking ahead of him, he squinted his eyes into the setting sun. He knew he had a pair of sunglasses somewhere in his backpack, but he’d rather get home quicker than spend a good three minutes digging around in the cluttered bag for a pair of cheap shades.

As he approached a long stretch of road, he focused on someone standing on the sidewalk ahead of him. Directly to his left was a giant wall, separating the street from a highway exit ramp. It was a long, tall thing, stretching most of the street. It used to be prime real estate for graffiti artists, but in the past ten years the city had cracked down. Something about the wall being a part of some long-forgotten war memorial.

It was dumb as hell. The art along this walk used to look sick.

His mood—which was solidly bad but bordering on hopeless—suddenly lifted as he made his way further toward his house. Just ahead, a brand-new, _giant_ mural had been painted on the wall.

He couldn’t hold back his grin as he slowly approached. After he got home and relieved the babysitter he’d probably take Kelsey and Austin back to look at it and take some pictures. Surely, the city had been alerted and it would be gone as soon as the weekend hit. He’d send a picture to Dad, too. Jasper was sure the guy needed something to smile about on his sixth twelve hour shift this week.

The closer he got, he realized that’s what the person on the sidewalk must have been doing; they hadn’t moved in a while. Probably one of the new residents of the newest luxury apartments across the street by the looks of it. She was wearing a white sundress and a yellow bucket hat, and her sneakers looked expensive.

He was barely twenty feet away when her canvas bag fell from her shoulder to the ground, sending all her belongings sprawling across the sidewalk. But as he made his way forward, cautiously now, the girl made no move to collect her items. She didn’t even acknowledge that they’d fallen.

A tiny alarm started to ring in his head, worry blooming abruptly in his stomach. As long as this girl didn’t hit the pavement, it would be okay.

“Um,” he spoke up as he approached, bending down to pick up an aluminum water bottle that had rolled it’s way toward him, “hello? You dropped your stuff.”

The girl didn’t react. At first, Jasper didn’t think she heard him. But then, he heard _her_.

Sniffling, that was. And when Jasper realized this random stranger was crying the discomfort struck him like a physical thing. “Miss?”

And when she turned toward him, she jumped as if she’d been snuck up on. Big blue eyes bloodshot red and full of tears. She blinked a few times, her mouth falling wide open as she studied his face, not once averting her eyes. Jasper didn’t know if it was rude or just bizarre, but it wasn’t until he found himself staring back when he realized something felt strange.

Familiar, almost. But the feeling passed quickly. Jasper was certain he didn’t know this girl.

But she _kept_ staring at him, her eyes wide and stunned, her tears still falling.

He shifted her fallen water bottle from one hand to the next before his eyes began looking elsewhere. What he was looking for, he didn’t know. An escape route, maybe? A solution to this weird problem he suddenly found himself faced with? Instead his eye fell upon the giant mural, it’s colors blossoming across the wall in huge, arching floral patterns.

In the center, a line of elaborate text: “It’s a beautiful thing to be alive.”

The words were familiar to him in a way he couldn’t quite place. And suddenly a strange feeling of dejavu fell upon him as he stared at the art. He didn’t recognize the style, and there were no tags so he had no idea who the artist was. But, staring at this art, he felt something warm within him.

When he looked back to the girl, she jumped again, finally averting her gaze as she lifted a quick hand to wipe at her tear-stained face.

“Jeez, I’m so sorry,” she sniffled before laughing awkwardly. “That was weird. I don’t know what came over me.”

“You dropped some things,” Jasper spoke, still apprehensive as the girl wiped at her face and shook her head. He gestured to the ground with the water bottle he was still holding.

“Oh, goodness,” she was on the ground then, grabbing the bag and quickly shoving items back inside. Naturally, Jasper leaned forward to help, handing her a tangled pair of headphones, a few pens, and even her wallet. “Thank you so much, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he assured, feeling genuinely bad for the girl now. “It’s a little dented up,” he grimaced as she finally accepted the water bottle from him.

“It’s been like that,” she waved a dismissive hand and with the other reached out for the bottle, their fingertips brushing ever-so-lightly. Her eyes met his again, and she quickly looked away once more.

“It’s a very beautiful mural,” she spoke, the words coming out quickly as she found herself staring back toward the vibrant colors. “I just moved here and wanted to take a walk but then I got lost and then suddenly I saw this thing and I guess I was just overwhelmed and—god, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, really.” He shifted slightly on his feet. “You said you were lost?”

She frowned, nodding. “I have a vague idea where I am…”

“Where are you trying to go?”

“Spring and Alpine.”

Jasper looked at her strangely then. “Well, you’re on Spring. Alpine is just a few blocks that way,” he threw his thumb over his shoulder, pointing back the way he’d just come. “Right by the bus stop?”

“Yeah, by the blue building?” Jasper nodded. “Just moved into that.”

Jasper made a face as he thought to himself. As far as he knew that wasn’t a residential building, but he kept his comment to himself. “It’s not far up that way. I wouldn’t worry about finding your way home. I’d do it soon though,” he turned, surveying the nearly-empty street that gave off a misleading, quiet vibe. “The neighborhood isn’t very safe at night.”

The girl nodded, “Thanks for the heads up,” then, she sniffled again. “God, I don’t know why I’m such a wreck.”

“Are you okay?” He didn’t want to think about how weird it was, so he forced the offer out before he could truly let the impact of his idea settle. “Do you want me to walk you home, or?” Then the implication struck him, “Or I could just get you to Alpine—I don’t want to freak you out or anything. Just trying to help.”

“Um, if you could just point me in the direction, I think I’ll be able to figure it out.” She smiled up at him then, and Jasper felt suddenly like a creep for even offering. “Thank you though,” she stepped toward him, her smile softening, “I really appreciate it, really.”

Jasper cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly on his feet as he turned. “Well once you make it to the end of the block you’ll see the entrance to the highway. Then just turn left and Alpine will be up ahead. If you get to the CVS you’ve gone too far.”

“Thank you so much,” she sighed as she rearranged her bag onto her other shoulder, before peeking inside and double-checking the ground around her. Her eyes widened as she shuffled toward the curb and reached into the street, picking up a couple of discarded markers. “Whoops.”

“You got everything?” He asked, forcing himself to keep his feet planted as she wandered around, checking the ground for more of her items. He didn’t want to come off as menacing or scary to any degree, reminding himself that he was just some weird punk that had run into this normal-looking girl on the street. Anything to give off as much of a non-threatening vibe as possible. He even stepped back when she approached him again.

“This might be a bit forward, but can I see your hand?”

It was a strange request but Jasper didn’t even hesitate when he held his hand out toward her. At first, he thought she was going for a handshake—which was awkward enough—but when she grabbed his hand in her own small one, turning it palm-up, he froze when he realized she was writing something with one of her Sharpies.

“I know we don’t know the first thing about one another, but if you’re ever bored and feel like showing me the cool spots around here, that would be nice.” As she spoke she recapped her pen and tossed it into her bag, smiling brightly up at him. Then, she adjusted her bucket hat and began to walk down the street, waving happily toward him.

For several seconds Jasper stared down at his palm, the phone number (with a little fucking _heart_ scrawled beside it) staring back at him, the ink feathering across the creases in his hand. Then, he spun toward where she was leaving. “Wait!” He called out, feeling silly. “I don’t even know your name.”

She turned as she walked, smiling back at him as she moved backwards. “I don’t know yours either!” She laughed, and when a breeze blew her dress around her slightly, the sun shining it’s golden beams to illuminate her face for him, Jasper felt his chest constrict slightly. 

“It’s Jasper,” he called toward her as she moved further up the street.

“Hi Jasper,” she paused long enough to curtsy, before turning back toward her destination. “I’m Alice!” And with a lifted arm she waved toward him, her introduction apparently serving as a farewell to their encounter.

Jasper took a few moments to himself, his eyes torn between three things: Alice’s departing form, the phone number he was quickly committing to memory, and the mural that had stood watch over the entire encounter.

Turning toward it, he whispered the words out loud, “It’s a beautiful thing to be alive.” And the words, no matter how cliche and how much Jasper would’ve typically mocked such a statement, somehow resonated with him. He turned again, watching as Alice’s form disappeared as she reached the end of the street and turned, following his directions, and felt a strange sensation within his chest.

Later, after he’d sent the babysitter home but before he cooked dinner, he grabbed his siblings by the hands and escorted the two nine-year olds back the way he’d come. But the wall on spring street was mysteriously and impossibly blank. His brother and sister stomped their feet, demanding to know what the deal was, but Jasper had simply stared, confused and shocked, assuring the twins that no, he wasn’t messing with them and yes, there really had been a giant piece of art there, hardly a half hour ago.

It wasn’t until that night when the twins were in bed and he was finishing the dishes in the sink that he paused, staring down at the number that was slowly fading on his palm. He made quick word of the cleaning before sitting himself firmly in a chair, opening his phone to type a quick message.

**Alice?** He sent the text, feeling solidly crazy ever since the disappearance of the art. **It’s Jasper.**

Her reply was almost immediate and brought him a level of relief and comfort that he didn’t know was possible—he hadn’t dreamed the encounter up, she was a real person. And if that was the case, then that meant that maybe he wasn’t insane. Maybe the mural _had_ been there. Either way, he somehow knew that it didn’t even matter. He’d met this girl, and he had a strangely good feeling about her.

**You’ve kept me waiting long enough.**


End file.
